


Common Thread

by queen_scribbles



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 05:40:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14158005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_scribbles/pseuds/queen_scribbles
Summary: For @pillarspromptsweekly #31: Inquisitor Kinda short, because I wound up having to revamp part of it.





	Common Thread

**Author's Note:**

> For @pillarspromptsweekly #31: Inquisitor Kinda short, because I wound up having to revamp part of it.

 

They came in the middle of the night, and woke her up, which Tavi was more angry about than the fact they were trying to kill her.

Decades of living on the run, constantly on alert, had made her a very light sleeper, however. She was wide awake at the first creak of her window sill, though she feigned otherwise. Questions like who was brazen(or desperate) enough to come after her in Caed Nua rather than on the road, or _why_ , would have to wait for if she left any of the would-be attackers alive. Tavi curled her hand around the hilt of the dagger she kept under her pillow and waited for one of them to get close enough. The floorboards around her bed creaked--something she refused to let the Steward have fixed for this exact reason--so she wouldn’t be caught unawares.

The telltale creak came only a few seconds later, and Tavi was moving almost before the intruders could worry they were given away. Gripping the dagger tight, she rolled across the bed toward the approaching assassins. The second she made contact, she struck, driving her blade deep into the kith’s chest and using her momentum to knock them to the ground.

There were muffled oaths from two other folk who were less close and saw their friend go down. Still trying for some degree of secrecy, they did not raise their voices as they moved to strike at her.

Tavi raised her arms to deflect the blows, forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t using her sabres. By pure luck, the dagger came free of her first victim in time to block one attack, but the other bit into her forearm. “Fuck!”

She rolled away from the first assailant, trusting she’d done enough damage he wouldn’t be a problem, and narrowly dodged another strike as she made it to her feet. Now better able to see the remaining attackers, Tavi lashed out with the dagger and caught one across the throat as he closed in. He went down with a gurle, one hand futilely grasping at the wound.

The last one growled another oath at the sight of his dying fellows. “Vailian bitch, why’d you have to be so fucking difficult?!” He dodged her next swipe at him and grabbed her wrist, twisting until she was almost forced to drop the dagger.

“Sorry,” Tavi grunted, punching him in the face with her free hand. Something cracked and he instinctively loosened his grip enough she could pull away. “I’ve gotten a lot of practice survivin’ shit people hoped would kill me.” She flipped the dagger in her hand and jammed it in the hollow of the man’s collarbone as he staggered.

Even as he fell, he took a final, desperate swing at Tavi with his short sword. He caught her on the shoulder, cutting in toward the center of her chest.

“Even the best of us make mistakes,” he rasped, and the words seared down to Tavi’s soul, dragging her away as she heard the door to her room open.

**oOo**

_“Even the best of us make mistakes,” she says reassuringly as Derwa stumbles over a portion of catechism that Petrok reeled off easy as breathing. It’s the first time in months the girl hasn’t done better than her brother, and the gleam in Petrok’s eye makes it clear he’s about to tease.  
_

_So she rests a comforting hand on Derwa’s shoulder and sends Petrok a warning look. He gets the message and bites his tongue. Derwa tucks her red curls behind her ears and tries again, doing much better this time._

_“There, see?” she says, smiling at the young girl. “I knew you’d remember. Excellent job. Now why don’t you two go see if Mabena or Jory need any help?”  
_

_It’s as the gangly twins scurry off that she notices she’s being watched. And by the Grand Inquisitor himself, no less. “You are Kayna, are you not? I’ve heard much regarding how you help the youngest of our faith with their memorization.”_

_She nods in acknowledgement of the praise. “Thank you, Eminence. It is my pleasure to serve the faith, with everything you’ve done for me.”_

_The Grand Inquisitor purses his lips. “I wonder, Acolyte Kayna, do you truly believe the words you help our children commit to memory? Or has simple duty overtaken devotion?”_

_Her heart pounds at the thought he doubts her commitment. “My duty is driven by my devotion, Eminence. I owe the gods far too much to ever let that change.”_

_He smiles, but it is different than the children’s grins, or the slow spread of delight across her sister’s face. More serious, even in his approval. Like a teacher with a pupil who has given the correct answer to a brainteaser. “I am glad to hear it. Tell me, would you be willing to share what the gods have done for you and your gratitude for it in pursuit of bringing more people to our faith?”_

_She presses her hands to her chest as if to physically quell the risiing tide of delight. “Willing? Eminence, I’d be honored!”_

_He nods once, a curt but satisfied motion. “We are having commissioning ceremony for new missionaries at the stat of the new week. It would please me greatly if you were among them, Kayna.”_

_She nods excitedly, already wondering where her service to the gods will send her. “Of course...”_

**oOo**

Coming to her senses after one of those... visions had always been fucking disorienting, but this time was worse than before. Especially given that it was immediately followed by the realization, _This isn’t my room._

When she started to push herself up to a sitting position, head buzzing with the lingering tendrils of memory, her shoulder protested sharply. _Oh, right._ Tavi flopped back at the reminder of what had triggered this episode, feeling the bandages that swathed her injured shoulder with curious fingers. It seemed like a lot, but that wound _was_ in an awkward place to bandage. She was just reaching the point of trying again--this time supporting her weight in her uninjured arm--when there was a relieved sigh from the doorway.

“You’re awake.”

Tavi grinned and carefully but swiftly pushed herself upright. “Worried about me, Corfiser?”

Aloth shrugged, fingers twisting one of his rings. “Shouldn’t I be? You were catatonic when... we found you, and Keya wasn’t sure if that was due to you having another of your... moments, as she put it, or some poison one of the _dead assassins_ had used.” He crossed to sit on the other bed in the room, shifting the disarrayed sheets to be comfortable. “Tavi, do you recall our conversation not too terribly long ago about how you could stand to worry about yourself in combat a little? That extends to assassins infiltrating your bedroom as well.”

“If it had taken more than a minute to deal with, I would’ve,” Tavi retorted defensively. “Didn’t that same conversation involve me sayin’ you could stand to lighten up a little?” She caught the look that flashed across his face and winced. “Sorry, city slick- Aloth. You musta really been worried...” She was fishing a little, but gods forgive her, it was late, she was hurt, and she didn’t really care.

“Yes, well...” He hunched his shoulders and bit his lip briefly before meeting her eyes. “You were unresponsive, Tavi, and neither of your injuries looked severe enough to have caused such a state. I- Keya and I both guessed it might simply be another of your flashbacks, but it seemed to be lasting longer than the previous ones. So, yes, we were- _I_ was worried about you.”

“Sweet of you,” Tavi teased, her heart fluttering. She contemplated swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, so she could better face him, but she was too tired. “Do we know who sent the assholes who were supposed to kill me?”

Aloth nodded, a note of wry sarcasm in his voice as he set a folded piece of parchment on the table between the beds. “You’ll never guess who.”

Normally she would have tried, but she was tired, and her arm hurt. “Fun as it would be to try, why don’t you just tell me?”

“Gathbin.”

Tavi’s eyes widened. “Shit, you’re right, I wouldn’t have guessed that. The Leaden Key or those people who’ve been huntin’ me, yeah, but not him.” She snagged the parchment and folded it open. “His name’s not on this.”

“But his seal is,” Aloth said. “Which I imagine a man like Gathbin guards even more jealously than his name.”

“He must’ve had a lot of faith in these assassins,” Tavi muttered, turning the parchment in her hands. “I mean, there’s gotta be some way to use this against him, right? He tried to have me killed over the fuckin’ keep, there hafta be rules about that.”

“We can talk to Marshal Forwyn in the morning,” Aloth suggested. “In the meantime, Sagani and Edér are retracing the assassins’ steps, to see where they came fom and how they got in, And Keya recruited Kana and Hiravias to go through their effects with her, so maybe they’ll find something more damning.”

“I fuckin’ hope so. This shit is getting annoyin’.” She yawned. “Sorry I worried you.” Exhaustion sat heavy on her, but she didn’t feel like giving in quite yet. She glanced around the room, smirking slightly at the pair of grimoires open on the desk. “Your room?”

It was Aloth’s turn to sound defensive. “Yours is currently covered in blood. And mine was closest.” (It wasn’t; Sagani and Keya’s was, but she wasn’t about to call him on the fib.) Well, closest with an extra bed,” he amended.

“Mm.” _Nice save, Corfiser._

He hesitated a moment before asking his next question. “ _Was_ it one of your flashbacks?”

Tavi nodded. “Yeah.”

“What did you see this time?”

“I learned what my... her? name was; Kayna. And that that life was a very religious kiss-ass and a wallflower.”

“Nothing like you, then,” Aloth said, teasing glint in his eye.

Tavi squinted at him. “Disappointed?”

He smiled and shook his head. “Never. You should probably get some more sleep. Minimal as your injuries were, you _did_ still lose blood, and Keya said rest will help.”

She nodded. “I will. If you promise to go to sleep, too. I”m fine, these are basically nothing” --she held up her arm with its two bandaged wounds-- “the copperfuckers who tried to kill me are dead, and we have a busy day tomorrow. So since there’s no more danger and I need you functional, the best thing you can do right now is go to sleep with me.” Her cheeks flamed and part of her wanted to hide under the blankets. “I mean, fuck, not with me. At the same time as... You know what I meant.”

Aloth laughed, cheeks slightly pink nevertheless as he settled into bed. “I do. Goodnight, Tavi.”

He blew out the lone candle before rolling over to go to sleep, but Tavi still smiled in the darkness. “Night, city slicker.”


End file.
